This invention relates generally to an apparatus for connecting a multi-conductor cable to a pin grid array connector.
Electronic devices are often connected to other electronic devices by the use of one or more cables and connectors. In many such cases, the connectors, cables, and devices are standardized for universal type connections. For instance, a computer monitor having a standardized VGA connector can be connected to a personal computer having a standardized VGA connector by a standardized cable with standardized mating VGA connectors on both ends. Given this standardization, most any monitor can connect to most any personal computer as long as both were built within a certain time range because all or almost all commonplace varieties of personal computers and monitors built in the same approximate time period include standardized VGA connectors.
On the other hand, specialty electronic devices (e.g., driving electronics for testing devices such as phased array ultrasonic instrumentation) available from different manufacturers often have different types of connectors to connect to corresponding electronic devices. For example, a testing device available from one manufacturer can be operated or controlled through a multi-conductor cable (e.g., 16, 32, 64, or 128 conductors) extending from the testing device to a number of different possible driving electronic devices, each built by a different manufacturer and each using different types of connectors for connecting to the multi-conductor cable. With no accepted standardization of connectors for these specialized devices (i.e., driving electronics devices), multi-conductor cables linking the driving electronic device to the testing device must be custom-built to accommodate the particular connector on the driving electronic device. The cables can be micro coaxial, and run lengths up to and exceeding 50 meters.
For example, a multi-conductor cable extending from a particular testing device is typically terminated by soldering each conductor onto one or more cable terminating printed circuit boards (PCBs), each of which also has a cable terminating connector for mating with the driving electronics device. Each cable terminating PCB can have circuitry for connecting a particular conductor from the multi-conductor cable to a particular electrical contact of the cable terminating connector. The type of cable terminating connector can be selected such that it mates directly with the type of connector of the driving electronic device. However, this requirement that the cable terminating connector directly mate with various types of driving electronic device connectors eliminates the possibility of creating a standardized multi-conductor cable extending from a particular testing device, since each multi-conductor cable-to-driving electronics connector interface must be customized based on the different types of connectors used for the driving electronic devices (e.g., must terminate the multi-conductor cable with different types of cable terminating connectors depending on the connectors of the driving electronics devices).
Included in these different types of connectors used for the driving electronic devices are at least two general categories: (i) connectors that can directly mate with a PCB surface mounted connector, and (ii) connectors that have a pin grid array that cannot directly mate with a PCB surface mounted connector.
As for the driving electronics device connectors that can directly mate with a PCB surface mounted connector, there are several different types (e.g., type X, Y, or Z) that can interface with a single type of cable terminating connector (e.g., type A) through the use of PCBs, allowing for the use of a standardized multi-conductor cable (i.e., type of cable terminating connector (e.g., type A)) is not chosen based on the particular type of driving electronics device PCB surface mounted connector (e.g., type X, Y, or Z)). For example, the multi-conductor cable extending from a particular testing device can be terminated by soldering each conductor onto one or more cable terminating PCBs, each of which has a type A cable terminating PCB surface mounted connector. Each type A cable terminating PCB can have circuitry for connecting a particular conductor from the multi-conductor cable to a particular electrical contact of the type A cable terminating PCB surface mounted connector.
Each type A cable terminating PCB surface mounted connector can then be connected to a mating type A connector interfacing PCB surface mounted connector mounted on another PCB referred to as a connector interfacing PCB. In addition to the type A cable terminating PCB surface mounted connector, each connector interfacing PCB also has a connector interfacing PCB surface mounted connector of a type that mates directly with the driving electronics connector (e.g., type X, Y, or Z). Each connector interfacing PCB can have circuitry for connecting a particular electrical contact from the type A connector interfacing PCB surface mounted connector to a particular electrical contact of the type X, Y, or Z connector interfacing PCB surface mounted connector. The type X, Y, or Z connector interfacing PCB surface mounted connector can then be connected to the mating type X, Y, or Z driving electronics connector. Using this design, the same multi-conductor cable using a type A cable terminating connector can be used for all of the different types (e.g., type X, Y, or Z) of the driving electronics device PCB surface mounted connectors by using different connector interfacing PCBs for the different types of driving electronics device PCB surface mounted connectors, without significantly increasing the amount of complicated, labor-intensive, time consuming, and costly hand wiring.
As for driving electronic device connectors that have a pin grid array (PGA) that cannot directly mate with a PCB surface mounted connector, those connectors cannot presently interface with a single type of cable terminating connector (e.g., type A) through the use of PCBs, and therefore do not allow for the use of a standardized multi-conductor cable. For example, the multi-conductor cable extending from a particular testing device can be terminated by soldering each conductor onto one or more cable terminating PCBs, each of which has a cable terminating connector that must be selected such that it mates directly with a row of pins in the PGA of the driving electronic device connector. Each cable terminating PCB can have circuitry for connecting a particular conductor from the multi-conductor cable to a particular electrical contact of the cable terminating connector, which is then mounted directly to the PGA connector of the driving electronics device. Accordingly, each different type of PGA driving electronic device connector requires a customized multi-conductor cable.
It would be advantageous to be able to use a standardized multi-conductor cable (i.e., type of cable terminating connector is not chosen based on the particular type of driving electronics device connector) regardless of whether the cable is connecting to a connector that can directly mate with a PCB surface mounted connector or a PGA connector that cannot directly mate with a PCB surface mounted connector.